Orthodontic appliance



Mar h 1 1954 i J. RUSSELL EFAL ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCE Filed Dec. 10, 1952 v INVENTORS. HARRY MEAD/$5544 DER/CK .BneanzuP; c. P LUM50 ATTORNEX Patented Mar. 16, 1954 ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCE Harry John Russell and Robert C. Palumbo. Newark. and Frederick .13. vBrestrup, :North Arlingto nN. J.

Application'necember 10, 1952, 'Serial=No.325,095

.15 Claims.

This invention is directed to the orthodontic appliance art and is more specifically directed to alock device forattaching an arch bow to the teeth for the correction of irregularities in the tooth formation on the dental arch.

An arch bow usually comprises a spring wire curved to conform approximately to :the normal dental arch, the-ends of the "wires being anchored and the intermediate portion of the bow being connected'to a toothor to theteeth to be moved by means of a lock clamping device attached to a tooth band. Various types of lock devices have been proposed and used for'the correction or irregularities of teeth. Such adevice is disclosed in application Serial No. 272,615 now Patent 2,627,112, issued on -February 3, 1953. These devices are positioned anteriorlyof the teeth and are placed into a locking position either :by a locking member moved transversely with respect to a tooth, by tying or otherwise fastening the arch bow to the lock device in aseriesof operations before the arch bow is correctly positioned or by a locking member moved vertically with respect to a tooth as disclosed in theaforementioned patent.

It isan object of the :present invention to provide an orthodontic lock which securesan :arch bow thereto by a single operation. 'It is another object of the present invention to provide an orthodontic lock which will not become disas sembled upon rough and careless handling by the operator. It is a stillfurther object of the present invention to provide :an orthodontic lock which controls the distance which the clamping member can be raised. Another object'of the present invention is to produce an orthodontic lock economically and with aminimum'number of forming operations.

Other objects and advantages-0f :the invention reside in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangementof parts which will be'hereinafter more fully describedand particularly pointed out in the appended claims, :reference being had to :the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, and in-which:

Fig.1 is a plan view ofa dental arch equipped with an orthodontic deviceaccordingto ,our invention,

Fig. 2 is an assembly-view of :a preferred embodiment of our orthodontic lock device,

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view along 1ines-3 3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. '4 is a-perspective view of the'lock plate of our invention. 7

According to our invention, we provide a substantially flat orthodontic lock comprising a unitary structure having 'a'clamping member cooperating with the-main body portion to :provide a vertical locking action, said member being re tained in cooperating-position by portions of the main body structure which also serve to limit movement of said memberand to :preventcomplete disengagement thereof-from the'bodystructure at all times. The vertical locking action is advantageous in that it enables the application of the lock to a tooth regardless of-the degree of irregularity of the teethon the dental-arch. The entire lock is dimensioned so that the contact area with an arch bow is comparativelysmall, which allows the arch bow to retain its inherent resiliency to a great extent and also :provides the arch bow with sufiicient free length .tO follow an irregular contour of the-teeth on'the dental arch depending upon thepredetermined correction plan for the teeth. An outstanding ad? vantage of our invention is that amore positive retaining and positioningmeans for the clamping member of our lock device is provided'which ensures a I quicker positioning --of the arch bow :and enables easier manipulation .of .the arch bow since it may be adjusted withoutentire disengagement of the cooperating lock components.

As shown in Fig. 1,:ourlock device'is positioned anteriorly of a tooth 2 by means of a tooth band 3 to which the lock is secured, as by solderingor welding. A plurality of similar locks .l,.each :related to-a single tooth, .are thus positioned by securing eachtooth bandzto its respective tooth, as *by crimping, and each "lock :retains the wire arch bow 4,Whi0h can be a single or twin-strand, substantially in conformity with .a dental arch. The ends of the arch. bow, as is wellilmown in the art, are secured -to a suitable anchor means -5 e. g. anchor tubes, whichare soldered or welded to tooth bands secured toa pair-o'f molars as Tillustrated.

Fig. 2 shows such a lock in assembled locked position with the arch bcw secured thereto- In connection with-this figure it is seen that a metal lock base '6 having a lower upturned :fiange 1 formed thereon is provided with spring face front portions 8, 8 positioned above said .flange as shown. The springjfaces'8, Bare iformedby bending theside portionsS, 9 of the base 6',which.side portions are spaced from the'fiange"! to form :a slot'26. A spring lock plate lD isprovided --to slide within the passageway formed by portions 8, 8', 9', 9 and-6 of such dimensions astoengagethe sides of'the passagewaywith a close sliding-fit and to provide sumcient vertical rreedom.

motion to allow the plate to be raised a distance sufficient to uncover a passageway to the slot 26 to enable the arch bow to be accommodated therein. The lock plate may also be provided with a means such as notch I2 in its lower extremity into which any suitable pointed instrument may be inserted for raising said plate to disengage an arch bow wire from the lock. Alternately, a notch may be provided in the flange I (not shown) to allow for the engagement of plate [0, in which event the notch I2 is eliminated. To obtain a better frictional reception of the plate I within base 6 the front portions 8. 8 may have small dimples M, M impressed therein to form small internal abutting surfaces within passageway I6. To obtain a spring action the portions 8, 8 are slightly separated as shown at I8. This spring action may be sufiicient to retain plate [0 within passageway [6, in which event dimples I4, [4 may be omitted.

To prevent the accidental separation of plate It! from base 6 the plate is provided with a pair of oppositely extending outwardly protruding abutments or stop members 39, 30 which are adapted to be aligned with and enter into recesses Si in the side portions 9 of base 6.

The base 6 may be manufactured from flat stock material preferably a non-corrosive metal such as stainless steel or a precious metal, by bending and shearing or by swaging. The lock plate may be assembled into the base 6 as by bending portions 8, 8 therearound. The lock plate may be formed by swaging.

It is to be understood that the illustrations are considerably enlarged and slightly exaggerated to clearly show the lock structures, the actual lock being dimensioned to form a substantially fiat structure against a tooth. As indicative of the small size and flatness of the device the lock may be .125" wide by .120 high and the tooth band to which it is affixed and sold as a unit may be .004" thick by .125" wide and 1% in length. It is apparent therefrom that a device of this sort is easily handled by an operator in its assembled condition thus avoiding the time consuming operations required in assembling some of the prior art devices.

Alternatively, to ensure a more positive locking action the plate It! may be extended at its lower end to enter a groove (not shown) in the flange 27 aligned therewith.

It is to be noted that the slot 26 is dimensioned in such a manner that upon closing of the lock plate the arch bow wires are enclosed in a space substantially corresponding in size therewith. Thus, due to the curvature of the bow wire sufficient centrifugal and frictional bearing force is exerted by the bow wires against the spring lock to insure a friction lock and negative the possibility of the lock plate slipping upwards while in use and thus releasing the arch bow. The chamber for the reception of the arch bow wires is formed in part by the cut out portion 32 of the plate it which is so dimensioned as seen in Figure 3, to provide frictional contact with the arch bow.

In practice it is obvious that the lock of our invention is especially adapted for use with orthodontic arch bows to readily and securely fasten said bow in proper position upon the tooth bands and maintain said bow fastened against displacement by release of said lock due to the action of food or other forces tending to dissociate the lock plate from the body structure. Furthermore, due. to the varrangement of struc- 4 ture accomplished by an internal positioning of the lock plate within the body structure the wearer is subjected to less discomfort or annoyance than he would encounter by the use of the prior known lock devices.

While we have shown and described our invention as embodied in certain details of construction, it should be understood that this is primarily for the purpose of clearly illustrating the principles of the invention and that many modifications and changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

What we claim is:

1. In an orthodontic lock device having a lock base body structure provided with a laterally extending slot for the reception of an arch bow, a partially enclosed passageway formed in said body intersecting said slot, said body having a spring face front portion forming part of the sides of said enclosure, locking means including a member adapted for sliding movement within said passageway and adapted to be frictionally retained within said passageway by the action of said spring face portion, said passageway and slot being so arranged that when said member covers said slot a chamber is thereby defined for the frictional reception of said arch bow.

2. The orthodontic lock device of claim 1 including means on said member and said base adapted to prevent the accidental separation of the member from the base.

3. The orthodontic lock device of claim 2 wherein said means to prevent accidental separation includes an abutment on the outer surface of said member and a recess in said base in alignment therewith and into which said abutment may be positioned.

l. The lock device of claim 3 wherein said face portion is provided with at least one dimpled reeess which projects into said passageway to provide a further frictional means for the retention of said member.

5. An orthodontic lock device comprising a lock base body structure and a locking member of substantially equal width, said body having front and rear surfaces and a lateral slot in its lower end to accommodate an arch bow, a vertical enclosed passageway formed in said body intermediate its front and rear surfaces and extending substantially the width thereof to accommodate said locking member for vertical sliding movement, a lower end portion on said base for restricting downward movement of said locking member, said base structure being provided with spaced spring face portions forming part of the sides of the enclosed passageway engageable with said locking member in a vertical guiding relationship and so formed as to frictionally retain said member within the passageway, said passageway and'slot being so arranged that when said member rests on said end portion there is provided a chamber for frictional reception of said arch bow.

6. The orthodontic lock device of claim 5 including means on said member and said base adapted to prevent the accidental separation of the member from the base.

'7. The orthodontic lock device of claim 6 wherein said means to prevent accidental separation includes an abutment on the outer surface of said member and a recess in said base in alignment therewith and into which said abutment may be positioned.

8. The lock device of claim '7 wherein said face portion is provided with at least one dimpled recess which projects into said passageway to provide a further frictional means for the retention of said member.

9. The lock device of claim 7 wherein said member has a cut out portion extending the full width of the lower end thereof and adapted to cooperate with the base and lower end portion to provide a chamber for the frictional reception of the arch bow.

10. An orthodontic lock having a lock base body structure provided with a laterally extending slot for the reception of an arch bow, a partially enclosed passageway formed in said body intersecting said slot, said body having a spring face front portion forming part of the sides of said enclosure, locking means including a member adapted for sliding movement within said passageway and adapted to be frictionally retained within said passageway by the action of said spring face portion, the member being provided with a cut out portion extending the full width of the lower end thereof and adapted to cooperate with the base and slot to provide a chamber for the frictional reception of the arch bow.

11. The lock of claim 10 wherein said member has a portion thereof provided with a means enabling the release of said arch bow from said chamber.

12. An orthodontic lock device comprising a thin walled lock base body structure and a looking plate member of substantially equal width, said body having front and rear surfaces and a lateral slot in its lower end to accommodate an arch bow, a vertical partially enclosed passageway formed in said body substantially perpendicular to said slot intermediate the front and rear surfaces, said front surface consisting of a pair of spaced spring face portions to accommodate said locking plate for vertical sliding movement, a lower end portion on said base for restricting downward movement of said base member, at least one abutment integral with the lower end of said plate and extending outwardly from the side portion thereof, a recess in the side wall of said base in alignment with the abutment and into which the abutment may be positioned to prevent the accidental separation thereof, said face portions being each provided with a dimpled recess projecting into said passageway to provide a further frictional means for the retention of said member, a cut out portion extending the full width of the lower end of the plate, said passageway being spaced a sufiicient distance transversely from the base of said slot as to provide in cooperation with the cut out portion a chamber for frictional reception of said arch bow when said plate is in its lowered position and rests against said end portion, the top edge of said locking plate cooperating with the top edges of said body member to form an externally smooth top surface, said plate being provided with a notched hole extending laterally thereof and into which an instrument may be inserted for raising the plate.

13. In an orthodontic lock device having a lock base body structure provided with a laterally extending slot for the reception of an arch bow, a partially enclosed passageway formed in said body intersecting said slot, said body including spring face means, locking means including a. member adapted for a sliding movement within the said passage way and adapted to be frictionally retained within said passageway by the action of said spring face means, said passageway and slot being so arranged that when said member covers said slot a chamber is thereby defined for the frictional reception of said arch bow.

14. The orthodontic lock device of claim 13 including means on said member and said base adapted to prevent the accidental separation of the member from the base.

15. The orthodontic lock device of claim 14 wherein said means to prevent accidental separation includes an abutment on the outer surface of said member and a recess in said base in alignment therewith and into which said abutment may be positioned.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Russell Feb. 3, 1953 Number 

